Five-member JIT to investigate Lalwani’s murder

KARACHI: The Sindh Home Department has constituted a five-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the murder case of slain journalist of Sukkur Ajay Lalwani.

According to an official notification issued by Secretary Sindh Home Department, Dr Usman Chachar, following the directions of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Home Department constituted a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising five officers of Sindh Police, ISI, IB, Special Branch and Pakistan Rangers for the purpese of investigation of murder of journalist Ajay Lalwani, the murder case registered at the Police Statien Saleh Pat, District Sukkur. Zulfiqar Ali Larik, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), would be the convener of JIT, while representative of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) not below the rank of Major, representative of Intelligence Bureau (IB) not below the rank of Deputy Director, representative of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) not helow the rank of Major, representative of Special Branch of Sindh Police not below the rank of SP would be members of the said JIT.

The notification added that the interim investigation report regarding the murder of journalist Ajay Lalwani shall also be considered and made part of the JIT report and most importantly the JIT shall also investigate the reasons and causes of death of Ajay Lalwani inside the Civil Hospital, Sukkur. The JIT may seek assistance from any other agency and department, if required. The JIT shall investigate and interrogate the matter within 30 days and submit its report to the Sindh Home Department, Government of Sindh.

Journalist Ajay Lalwani was murdered in Salehpat, a small town of district Sukkur, on March 18, 2021. Initially, Sukkur Police registered the murder case and arrested five suspects in connection of the said murder but the relatives of deceased journalist Lalwani showed their mistrust in Sukkur Police and IGP Sindh Mushtaq Mahar transferred the investigation of the case to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kashmore-Kanshkot Amjad Shaikh.

Journalist organizations like Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Sukkur Union of Journalists and Sindh Journalist Council have demanded for the constitution of the Joint Investigation Team for thorough investigation of the murder of journalist Lalwani.